New Coatesville police chief honored by hiring

COATESVILLE — The newly hired police chief said he was “mildly shocked” that City Council expedited the process and hired him on Tuesday.

Stephen Johnson, a deputy commissioner in Philadelphia, was unaware of council’s intentions to make the hire on Tuesday when he left City Hall following an executive session where he met the governing body.

“I was very honored and glad to be considered for the position,” Johnson said in an interview on Wednesday. “It fulfilled my hopes and aspirations relevant to this process.”

Johnson said he is looking forward to the opportunity to begin a new experience in Coatesville and help to solve some of the issues within the police department.

“It’s a respectable town with some problems, but seems like a very good place to start a second career,” Johnson said. “I hope to bring my expertise to help solve some of the problems there.”

Johnson currently oversees the internal investigations within the Philadelphia Police Department and said he hopes those experiences will help him solve some of the personnel issues in Coatesville. He said he wants to focus on making sure his officers make the right decisions and act in a responsible way.

“The first thing I have to do is reinforce the value of law enforcement,” Johnson said. “We have to be beyond reproach with our ethical decisions and morality. I think that will be a good start.”

The 35-year veteran of the Philadelphia department said that every officer in Coatesville will start with a clean slate with him and he will not base his opinions of officers on anything in the past. He said in the last two years overseeing internal investigations he has dealt with numerous personnel issues and he hopes he can translate that experience to solve Coatesville’s issues. He said he knows he has to deal with recent lawsuits within the department and he is prepared to do so.

Recently, the city settled with officers over claims of racial discrimination within the department. There are still outstanding lawsuits for similar allegations within the department.

Additionally, the police department is under investigation by the state attorney general’s office for an internal investigation into an affair between two officers that eventually turned criminal. Johnson said he is aware of the investigation and will get to know everything he can about the process once he takes over as chief.

Johnson was named a deputy commissioner in Philadelphia in 2008 and originally oversaw the homeland security and domestic preparedness division for Philadelphia until 2010 when he transferred to internal affairs. He said his position has already been filled in Philadelphia, but he will remain a deputy commissioner for the remaining days on the job. He is expected to start in Coatesville within 30 days, but is not aware of his exact start date yet.

Johnson said coming to work in a department other than Philadelphia will be a “culture shock at first.”

“After 35 years, it’s going to be a little different, but I’ll adjust,” Johnson said. “Law enforcement is a field that translates well in all areas of the country.”

Johnson will make $90,000 per year in Coatesville and is planning to move to the area to meet the residency requirements in his contract. He is not required to live in the city, but does need to live within a certain radius.

Johnson said he knows there is work to be done and ultimately he must work to resolve any disconnect that may exist between the department and the community. He believes his experiences in Philadelphia set him up to do just that.

“I’m grateful to council and the community to (give) to me what I consider a sacred trust,” Johnson said. “ I am going to do my best to try and fulfill that.

“I am going to try to build a better community, a place where people can watch their kids grow up safely and can conduct their business and grow their livelihood. It’s all about quality of life and having citizen buy-in.

“I want the people to feel good about living in Coatesville and I want my subordinate officers to feel good about being Coatesville police officers.”